


The Forgotten Horror in Vinyl City

by RIpig



Category: No Straight Roads (Video Game)
Genre: Horror, Post-Story, more tags as story progresses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:35:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,885
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28706022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RIpig/pseuds/RIpig
Summary: A few months after the Rock Revolution, a lost NSR artist duo reappear to wreck havoc. Now it's up to our favorite duo, Bunkbed Junction and NSR artists to keep their Vinyl City from looking like a literal horror show.
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this one when the No Straight Roads tag on here was barely ten entries. Now I'm confident to post the first chapter, and there's over a hundred. I really need to work faster on shit. 
> 
> But yeah, Doctor Doctor is supposed to be a duo of twisted WitchHouse artists, and will serve as the primary antagonists for this shit show. 
> 
> Everyone else belongs to Metronomik and Sold Out.

Mayday was sprawled on their ratty couch, moaning in boredom in her shared sewer headquarters. “Zuke…there’s nothin’ to dooooooo!” She moaned, only to earn a yelp in return from the other room. 

“C’mon, there’s plenty to do today!” Zuke said as he poked his head into their supposed living room, “This place is a mess, your guitar needs a tune up, and we have a show in a week, so there’s the song list revision.” 

“One, this is a sewer, it’s always a mess,” The guitarist pointed out, “Two, it isn’t my guitar, it’s Fyra’s, and I’m not touching that! Ever. And three, I’ve revised the list twenty times; it’s golden!” Zuke sighed and rolled his eyes as he retreated to the makeshift kitchen. Mayday pouted and allowed herself to slide down far enough to where her head rested on the cold floor. “You’re no fun…” She pouted as she pulled out her phone, scrolling through the social media feed of Vinyl City. “Let’s see,” Mayday said, “Sayu’s snack is getting a new flavor, Eve is setting up a new gallery, we have another indie band climbing the charts…hmm?” Suddenly a text message appeared, and Mayday re-righted herself on the couch. 

“Maybe was it?” The text asked. 

“Mayday, but yeah.” She texted back, “Who is this?” 

“It’s Eve.” The text replied.

“Hey Zuke!” Mayday shouted, “Eve’s texting me!” 

“Wait, Eve’s texting you?” Zuke asked as he reentered the room. “How’s she get your number?” 

“Why didn’t you text Zuke?” She texted. 

“Never mind!” Eve texted, “I need you and Zuke to get to my gallery ASAP!” 

“Why?” Mayday texted. 

“Just get over here!” Eve texted, “And bring your equipment!” 

“She wants us over at her gallery with our gear,” Mayday said, “Didn’t say why.” 

“That’s kinda weird,” Zuke admitted, “But might as well see why Na-Eve wants to see us.” 

“Woo! No boredom!” Mayday shouted as she jumped up and ran for the ladder, “C’mon! C’mon, let’s go Zuke!” 

“Hold on,” Zuke uttered as he picked up his sticks and the guitar, “You nearly forgot this.” 

“What do you think you’re doing!?” Mayday shouted back as she returned to their quarters, “Put that guitar back!” 

“Look, Tatiana allowed you to use it,” The drummer argued, “And I don’t think she’ll be happy to know that it’s been gathering dust.” 

“I’ve been using it for shows!” Mayday argued. 

“Once in a blue moon!” Zuke retorted. 

“But…what if I-?” The guitarist uttered, but the guitar was shoved into her grasp. 

“You won’t.” The drummer assured, “Just trust yourself. Now come on; Eve’s waiting.” Mayday sighed and shouldered the guitar. 

“If Kul Fyra’s guitar breaks,” She said, “I’m going to break your legs.” 

///

Later, Bunk Bed Junction was in the Dream Fever District, but were shocked to find the entire district dark and quiet, their footsteps echoing along the smooth buildings. “Er…did the district suffer a black out?” Mayday asked as she looked around. 

“I dunno,” Zuke replied as he saw a ‘closed’ sign hang on a gallery door, “The other districts seemed to be doing alright. Shoot a text to Eve.” 

“I’m trying,” The guitarist said as she tapped at her phone, “I’m not getting any signal.” 

“That’s really weird.” Zuke uttered. 

“Where’s her gallery again?” Mayday asked, “All of these places look the same, and I’m freaking out.” 

“You’ve got a lot of nerve saying that.” Eve suddenly said as she appeared behind the two, making them yell out. “I take careful planning in designing this district!” She huffed. 

“Hey, Eve.” Zuke greeted, “I thought we were meeting at your gallery.” 

“There…were complications.” Eve admitted, “Look, just follow me.” She grabbed the two, and teleported into a small room with a flat screen tv and a white sofa. “We won’t be reached here.” She explained. 

“Reached by what?” Zuke asked. The flatscreen turned on and the three were exposed to a photo of a thin woman with pale skin and slanted eyes, and a small robot with a Glasgow smile and red eyes. 

“Do either of you know these two?” Eve asked, and the two shook their heads. “I’m not surprised,” She continued, “These two were known as ‘Doctor Doctor’, a pair of ex-EDM artists that specialized with WitchHouse. They…drained this entire district, and they’ll continue draining every other districts.” 

“Wait, that’s why everything is dark here?” Mayday asked. 

“Yes.” Eve said. 

“But where’s everyone?” Zuke asked. 

“That’s the other problem with them…they kidnap people.” The artist continued, “Every time they perform, they abduct people for their shows. After that…” Eve closed her eyes and sighed, a slight tremble in her frame noticed by the two. 

“Wait, you’re basically asking us to do what we used to do, only to these EDM guys?” Mayday asked. 

“What’s up with these artists?” Zuke asked. 

“Forget it, it’s none of your concern.” Eve said, her voice stained with fear, “Just go back home.” 

“Hold it!” The guitarist said, “If someone is gonna threaten Vinyl City’s supply and people, then you can bet that we’ll be there to stop them!” 

“Yeah.” Zuke added, “That, and May will whine all day about being bored. But I gotta ask why didn’t you ask Tatiana or any of the other EDM artists?” 

“I panicked…” Eve admitted, “I just…I” She raked her hands through her hair, vibrant blue eyes trembling until Zuke snapped her out of it with a slight touch.

“Hey, it’s alright.” Zuke assured, “Let’s just keep going with this Doctor Doctor duo. What district are they in?” 

“They aren’t in an official district,” The artist said, “But you can access it through mine; there’s a blocked off alley that you can use.” 

“Ooh, mysterious.” Mayday said as she wiggled her fingers, “I wonder if we would find a wizard somewhere.” 

“Doubt it.” Zuke answered. 

“These two are incredibly dangerous,” Eve continued, “Morally questionable, psychotic, and are willing to kill or be killed just for their craft. We cannot allow them to get to the other districts.” 

“You called the right rock duo for the job!” Mayday said as she stood up and saluted. 

“We’ll take care of these two,” Zuke assured, “Don’t worry about us.” 

“It’s just…you were not there when they made their last ‘masterpiece’.” Eve said as she held herself, “All I can say about it is because of them, we lost an EDM artist, and an entire district.” Bunkbed Junction winced at the idea, and Eve continued, “I just don’t want that to happen to you.” 

“Eve, I promise we’ll get back safe and sound.” Zuke said, “You gotta remember; we took down the entire NSR, and we have all our fingers and toes by the end of it all. I think we take them on with no problem.” Eve stared at them, then snapped her fingers and three were transported to an alley that seemed to be a dead end. She parted her hands, and the dead end split apart, revealing a dark, medieval passage barely lit by torches. 

“Just go down this path and you should find their stage.” Eve said. 

“Thanks!” Mayday shouted as she and Zuke ran down the new passage. 

“I’ll let Tatiana and the others know!” Eve called, “Just please be safe until we can get to you!” 

///

A while of walking later brought the two to a dilapidated European-gothic district, ivy springing from within the stone walls and ensnarling their stony prey. Electricity sparking from decapitated lampposts and shattered bulbs, wasted energy sputtering down to the cold ground and fizzle out. An underwhelming smell of mold, mildew, and dust was ticking Bunkbed Junction’s noses, making Mayday rub her nose. “Man, this place is dead.” She uttered. 

“Well, this district was hidden way for who knows how long,” Zuke pointed out, “I’m pretty sure house-keeping hadn’t swung by lately.” 

“Let’s just get to the venue before the zombies show up.” The guitarist said as she ran ahead, Zuke forced to jog after. The two passed by left-behind businesses and apartments, wondering if it was intentional or an effect of neglect. “Kinda hard to believe there’s horror-themed music…” Mayday pondered, “All I’m thinking of are those cheap Halloween CDs you play in haunted houses…and stuff from the 80’s.” 

“There is some good horror-based music,” Zuke answered, “There’s a classical piece that’s a mainstay in horror, actually.” 

“How do you even make Horror EDM?” Mayday asked. 

“It’s all about ambiance and getting people into the mood,” Zuke explained, “With any kind of music, you gotta focus on the sounds to make the listener feel what you want them to feel, and most instruments can be performed in a way to convey said mood.” 

“So…I make spooky sounds with my guitar?” Mayday asked. 

“Erm…yeah.” Zuke uttered. 

“…I gotta keep that in mind.” The guitarist uttered. Suddenly, she skidded to a halt as she teetered on the edge until Zuke ran into her and the two tumbled down until they landed in something soft. “That could’ve gone better.” She uttered as she scratched her head. 

“May, get off now!” Zuke said as he pulled Mayday off the pile. Before she could protest, she looked and nearly screamed out. That they landed on was the dead carcass of some giant, shapeless flesh monster, fresh liquids oozing from various pores and orifices. Enlarged, warty human arms and legs jutted from various spots, some missing their hands and feet while others had chunks of flesh supposedly ripped off. They could see the head of an unfortunate victim bobbing in the fleshy puddle. Mayday struggled to keep her lunch down while Zuke kept himself and Mayday turned away. “…Let’s keep moving.” He urged as he led his partner away. 

“Was that…the ‘masterpiece’?” May gasped. 

“Let’s keep moving.” Zuke repeated as he pulled his partner away. The two staggered towards the gothic mansion-looking concert hall, pushing the heavy doors open and staring at the dim interior. The two stared at each other, nodded and continued inside. The doors shut behind the duo and were bathed in the lavender flames of the lit torches. 

“Well, I never expected fans so soon.” A woman uttered over the speaker system, causing the two to look towards the music booth. Behind a mammoth, monstrous music machine was a thin woman with black hair, dressed in a gothic dress with a short skirt and twirling a thin, lacy parasol. 

“You’re one half of Doctor Doctor, right?” Mayday asked. 

“Well, yes.” The woman said, “I am officially Doctor Edith; the constructor of your nightmares. If you’re here for our return concerts, you’re a bit early; we are still setting up and we need to still do sound check.” 

“We’re here to shut you down, Edith!” Mayday exclaimed, “Time to go back to your tomb!” 

“Shut us down?” Edith repeated, “Oh no, you cannot shut us down; we have been away long enough to have NSR erase us from their history and from our fans’ minds. To deny us from our fans is a grave sin…erm…who are you, exactly?” 

“Bunkbed Junction!” Mayday announced. 

“Still,” Edith uttered, “Trying to stop us is a terrible thing to do.” 

“Hey, speaking of ‘us’,” Zuke asked, “Where’s your little robot partner?” 

“You’ll meet her soon enough,” Edith said as she started up her machine, “Right now, you are considered the luckiest individuals for having an early concert!” The machine erupted into a dour, cold-sounding song, instantly wrapping the duo in the hopeless ambiance.

“H-hey, did it get cold?” Mayday asked as she wrapped her arms around herself. 

“R-Remember w-when I s-said music can ev-v-oke things?” Zuke reminded as he rubbed his forearms. Mayday gritted her teeth and charged towards the machine, but nearly slid when she suddenly realized the floor was frozen over. 

“I thought this music was supposed to make you feel scared!” Mayday exclaimed as she slid across the floor. 

“I can manipulate music to alter your reality,” The doctor said, “I am the master of reality itself!” With a chord erupting from the speakers, trembling drew the duo’s attention to the ceiling as icicles started to grow from the ceiling. Mayday and Zuke yelled out as icicles rained down, making them slide and skid across the floor and narrowly dodging them. “Hurry and perish in your ice tomb!” She cackled as the two collided with each other. 

“What do we do?” Mayday asked. 

“We gotta stop her set,” Zuke said, “Stop the music, stop the reality warping.” 

“Can do!” The guitarist assured. Zuke swung around May and sent her sliding towards the music machine, but Edith smirked and played another set, causing the floor to defrost and causing Mayday to tumble across the wet floors. “Ouch.” She uttered as she stood.

“Really cute tactic, honey.” Edith cooed as she repeated the previous set, refreezing the floor and causing Mayday to slide a little. “Too bad your efforts are for naught.” She continued as Mayday looked up to see a really big icicle form above her. She scuttled on the ice to get away, nearly getting stabbed in the legs. “Now, why don’t you actually be good and die, for once?” Edith asked. 

“Get bent!” Mayday shouted as she swung, hitting a speaker with a solid smack, leaving a sizable dent and causing the sound to fizzle out. 

“You little brat!” Edith hissed. 

“Hey, forgot about me?” Zuke called as Edith looked to see the drummer had jammed his sticks into the speaker, all sounds dying with a pop. “This might actually be the easiest we took down an EDM artist.” He mused. 

“Take down?” Edith repeated, only to shake her head and giggle, “You honestly think damaging a few speakers would be enough?” A trembling made the two dash away as the machine erupted towards the ceiling, changing into a mountain of speakers, flesh, wires, and gaping mouths. The two grimaced at the sight, nearly vomiting as a large eye stared at the two while a mouth stretched out its forked tongue. “I hate spoiling the surprise before the show, but you two really push my buttons.” The demented artist uttered, “Now, let’s see if this new set can drive you insane.” 

A new set erupted from the speakers, and two instantly held their ears, their eyes darting back and forth as they witnessed the concert area warp, wood and plaster replaced slowly with wet muscle and veins, red and green oozing onto the floor at random. The air instantaneously started to reek of raw flesh and warm blood, making their stomachs’ turn and churn and their throats burn with the rising bile. “May, it’s all in your head!” Zuke reminded, “This is just a big illusion!” 

“Easy for you to say!” Mayday shouted as she grabbed her nose. A patch of wriggling, skinless hands sprouted near her, nearly making her scream out as she side stepped from their eager grip. “So, what’s the plan?” She asked, “Same as before?” 

“Yeah, just gotta shut her set down,” Zuke assured, “But it’s gonna be tricky with those grabby hands. And we still haven’t seen her little robot buddy.” 

“Right,” Mayday realized, “Maybe this time, we should knock out the power; I don’t wanna take a chance and fight a giant speaker man.” 

“Yeah, I get it. But how do we knock the power out?” The drummer asked. Mayday looked around, eventually seeing a long line trailing from the tower of speakers and flesh, eventually dipping into the floor. 

“There.” She pointed out, and Zuke saw the line, “Just gotta get to there.” The two sprinted towards the line, but an abrupt sound made the floor bleed out a light green substance, the two realizing it was stomach acid and leapt onto a crate. 

“Wait, I said it was all in our heads!” Zuke realized. 

“You jumped too!” Mayday pointed out. 

“You two are really becoming annoying,” Edith uttered, “I changed this whole layout, and you only talked for a little bit before charging, and now you’re taking refuge from a little stomach acid!? Where was the moxie from before?” Mayday growled and leapt onto another crate, the two jumping over and over towards the tower. Another booming sound brought about ports from the sides, spurting blood and acid into the already disgusting scene. A giant, rotten hand sprung from the acid and blindly swung around at the duo, nearly tipping over and falling into the lethal sludge. It slammed a fist into the stomach slurry, sending the duo into the air. Zuke grabbed a light fixture as Mayday grabbed his legs and the two dangled from the ceiling. “Come, come, fall to your doom!” Edith cackled. 

“What now!?” Mayday asked. 

“Thinking!” Zuke reported. 

“Let me make it easier for you.” A new voice said as Zuke felt his hand being crush. He yelled out and looked to see the second half of Doctor Doctor on the wall, its robotic head turning in place as its large claw tried to pull the drummer off.

“Evelin!” Edith called, “About time you showed up!” 

“Hey, you can’t rush beauty!” Evelin replied as multiple arms sprouted and fixed its metal hair, “I’ve been asleep for who knows how long, and I needed a touch up! But I see you’ve been busy.” As the duo argued, Zuke winced at the crushing pain as his hand was pulled away and left Bunkbed Junction dangling over the pool of acid. 

“I’m sorry May.” He uttered. 

“We’re not done yet!” Mayday said as she climbed up Zuke and bashed the robot in the head, making her scream out while the duo fell to their doom. “Whoops.” She uttered before the two splashed into the acid below, prompting a triumphant laugh from Edith. 

“Well, guess I didn’t need your help after all!” The horror artist proclaimed as her robot partner glared and flew over. 

“Well, what now?” Evelin asked as she stared at the gastric scenery. 

“Truth be told, not that sure.” Edith admitted, “I thought that battle would go on for a little longer; maybe keep going until a climax.” 

“Eh, better a letdown than a loss.” Evelin uttered. Suddenly, the machine’s power went off and the two started to bash buttons and flick levers. “Did we get enough power for this thing?” 

“We should have enough for three shows!” Edith uttered. 

“Sorry, but your shows are cancelled!” Mayday’s voice erupted, causing the two to see Bunkbed Junction standing in front of them, unscathed and twirling the pulled-out power cord. 

“But…but the acid!” Edith argued. 

“Music can only bend reality so much,” Zuke argued, “If you know it’s fake, then it’s fake.” 

“Mind over matter, baby!” Mayday gladly added. Doctor Doctor glared at the two and jumped off of their speaker high tower, ready to take on the duo. “Now, who wants to get their butt kicked first?” She asked. 

“Better idea.” Evelin said as she grabbed her partner and started to fly away. 

“Hey, get back here!” Mayday shouted. 

“We’re not done with you!” Zuke added. 

“But we’re done with you.” Edith said as they ascended, “You two may have destroyed our legendary music machine, but we can build up again. But for now, we must depart; at least this small battle has provided us with some valuable data. Until next time, Bunkbed Junction.” 

“There will be no next time!” Someone shouted, and a large hand grabbed the departing, and slamming them down. Bunkbed Junction looked to see Eve and Tatiana at the door while multiple NSR officers stormed in. 

“Kul Fyra!” Mayday gasped. 

“Sorry it took a while.” Eve said. 

“Least you got here.” Zuke said.

“So, we met again, Edith and Evelin.” Tatiana spoke as several NSR officers held them at bay, “Didn’t think you would crawl out of hell in this day and age.” 

“You cannot halt our progress!” Edith shouted. 

“Funny, I think we did pretty good.” Mayday said as she jerked a thumb to the busted machine.

“I honestly don’t see your activities as ‘progress’, just vile.” Tatiana uttered, “Do the two of you feel any remorse for the numerous people you rope into your schemes?” 

“More like enlighten.” Evelin corrected, “When we drop the beat, no one is ever the same afterwards.” 

“It’s because you-!” Eve started, but was stopped by Tatiana.

“I beg otherwise.” The NSR Leader said, “Get these delinquents out of here.” As the guards departed with the outlaw duo, she continued, “The rest of you, find any survivors or captives, reroute the power to Eve’s district, and destroy any…anomalies with fire.” As the officers saluted and left, she turned to B2J and asked, “Are you two alright?” 

“Pretty good, truth be told.” Zuke said as he checked himself over. 

“Yeah, I’ll probably have nightmares for a while, but I’ll be okay.” Mayday affirmed, prompting a sigh of relief from the older woman. 

“I can’t believe Eve asked you two, but then again I’d probably do the same if I was in her shoes.” She admitted. 

“So…were those two guys really as bad as Eve said?” Mayday asked.

“Definitely,” Tatiana said, “You two were probably lucky at not seeing those two in their climax.”

“Was that when you lost an artist and a district?” Zuke asked. 

“More than that…” Tatiana uttered, her hands clasping each other, “It was a complete horror show…so many lives gone, and hundreds more traumatized to insanity.” The two indie rockers swallowed as Tatiana tried to regain her composure as fear caused her to tremble. 

“I’m sorry Ku-I mean, Tatiana.” Mayday said as Eve joined her superior’s side to try to calm her nerves.

“No, you two were rightfully curious.” The older woman said, “And I out to be thanking you for cutting their performance short.” 

“Yeah, but we didn’t do our ‘red light, green light’ thing.” Mayday uttered.

“Why is that important?” Eve asked. 

“No, she has a point,” Zuke said, “I mean, after we pulled the cord on their performance, they were about to leave when you popped in. And they were determined to have a show, but then they just quit; I mean, I thought they would try to go another round or at least have an even bigger machine.”  
“Well, let’s just be glad we were able to cap this before anything really went down.” Tatiana said. A scream erupted, making the four glance at the entrance. They quickly ran out to see a few officers on the ground as they watched their van being carried away by a flying creature. “What happened?!” She asked. 

“Some weird gargoyle monster thing just took the prisoners!” An officer reported, “We barely had time to react!”

“Maybe we can catch up to them!” Mayday said as she whipped her phone out, “I’ll call Ellie, and get her to-.” 

“No, they’re long gone…” Eve said as she gestured to the sky, finding it vacant of any vans or monsters, “They…they got away.” 

“We need an emergency meeting.” Tatiana said, fear tainting her voice, “We need to up security, and hold emergency press conference, then we need to-.”

“Breathe Tati, breathe…” Eve coached, “We’ll get it done.” 

“Well, we better get back home,” Zuke said, “Maybe I can test out our new locking system.” 

“Hold it, you’re coming too.” Tatiana said, “You may not consider yourselves NSR, but you’re connected, whatever you like it or not.” 

“Wait, you want us to be at that meeting?” Zuke asked. 

“It’s because we kick butt, right?” Mayday added with a grin. 

“You got tangled in this mess,” Tatiana explained, “You have every right to know what the plan will be. Now come on, we got to head back to the tower.” 

“Whoa…Kul Fyra is asking me to be one of the heroes of Vinyl City again…” Mayday uttered dreamily, “Pinch me…OW!” 

“You asked.” Zuke replied.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this was a bit long. This was originally supposed to be a meeting chapter, but it was too short. And we might as well get the ball rolling, right?

A while later, Mayday and Zuke were seated at a round table as they were surrounded by the other NSR artists, keeping their gazes down as they heard the artists talking amongst these other in curiosity. “This is awkward…” Mayday uttered. 

“It’s like a family dinner where someone is just gonna drop a bomb.” Zuke admitted. 

“Sorry it took a while,” Tatiana said as Eve followed behind, dragging a pouting DJ Subatomic Super Nova along, “Nova was being a little fussy.” 

“You dragged me away in the middle of a performance.” The DJ grumbled as he took a seat. 

“It’s an emergency.” Eve said as she took her seat while Tatiana set up the computer. 

“So is the energy crisis,” The DJ retorted, “But please tell me, what is ever so urgent as to prevent me from performing my craft?” 

“Doctor Doctor has returned.” Tatiana said, making the DJ gasp. 

“Wait, that’s impossible!” Neon J blurted out. 

“I thought NSR banished them from Vinyl City forever!” Yinu’s mother said. 

“Tell that to them.” The NSR leader said as she jerked a thumb at the indie rockers, who awkwardly smiled and gave a small wave. 

“Is this true, Bunkbed Junction?!” Neon J asked, nearly leaping across the table. 

“Er, yeah.” Mayday answered. 

“We fought those jerks and pulled their plug,” Zuke retold, “And then a monster took them away and they escaped.” 

“It does sound like them….” The cyborg uttered as he pulled himself back to his seat, “I can’t believe they somehow returned.” 

“Hey, uh Lady Tatiana?” Remi asked as he raised a hand, “Who’s this Doctor Doctor duo?” 

“I’m getting to that,” Tatiana said as she rapidly tapped her fingers on the keyboard, “If I can get this stupid thing going!” 

“Let me help.” Remi asked as he joined her side and started to tap away. 

“Yes, while we work on the projection,” Tatiana continued, “I might as well explain what the plan is until we apprehend those monsters. For each of your districts, there will be a number of officers appointed and positioned to where there will be no unmonitored corners or alleys. There will also be a mandatory curfew set in position so there won’t be any late-night abductions.”

“But what about my shows?” Nova spoke up, “It will be impossible for anyone to gaze upon the universe on a limited time schedule.” 

“Your stars will still be there after we catch these crooks! Or do you want your district completely wiped out?” Neon J said as he glared down the DJ, “In case you forgot, those two monsters had executed one of our own!”

“And what about your end, J?” The DJ asked as he jabbed a finger in the cyborg’s chest, “Your boys will get restless if they can’t do their performances. Hell, you’ll go crazy if you stay in that giant mansion for more than three days.” 

“Watch your tongue, citizen.” Neon J hissed. 

“Gentlemen, please!” Tatiana butted in, “Focus on the real problem!” 

“Got it!” Remi proclaimed as the projector started up and the room darkened, leaving the audience to view at the portraits of Evelin and Edith, looking about the same. 

“As you can see, these are the infamous Doctor Doctor duo, though our files might be a tad outdated.” Tatiana admitted. 

“What are you talking about?” Zuke spoke up, “They look exactly like that when we fought them.” 

“But that’s impossible…these photos are from when they first joined NSR.” Tatiana uttered before shaking her head. “Anyway,” She continued, “These are the two we are to be on the lookout for. They had first joined NSR when we were just a fledgling company, and their specialty is WitchHouse. Most of their performances focused on illusion and atmosphere, and had create their songs to promote a calm feeling. That is…until they snapped. One day, their entire district was drained of power, and inhabitants within that district just disappeared. But they never told us, and we didn’t learn until it was way too late.” She felt silent, prompting the newer members to ponder whilst the elder waited for the inevitable reveal. 

“So…wh-what happened?” Tila asked quietly. Tatiana shut her eyes as she tried to calm herself down. 

“You ever seen a horror movie?” Neon J spoke up, “Imagine that, only worse. None of the bodies could be identified. Nothing could be salvaged. Those bastards took one of our own out, tried to kill the rest of us before we caught them, but still. It was almost as bad as what I’ve seen.” 

“We ended up sealing their district so no one could access it ever again,” Tatiana said, “It’s basically a no man’s land.” 

“So we just set up these curfews, and go on the hunt for two nutjobs and their pet monsters,” Sofa uttered, “Sounds pretty straight forward, LOL.” 

“Straight forward!?” Neon J repeated as he lunged across the table, “Soldier! These two are absolutely dangerous! They can make the rock revolution seem like a pleasant dream if they get enough power, and enough bodies! Vinyl City will be a war zone of hell and misery if we don’t stop them!” 

“J!” Tatiana spoke up, making the trembling cyborg return to his seat and clear his non-existent throat. 

“Apologies.” The soldier uttered, “But these two are extremely dangerous…And they can corrupt.” 

“I believe you!” Sofa fearfully replied as he pulled his team mates close. 

“So, does anyone have an objection to the curfew?” The NSR Head asked, and the room fell silent. “Good, we’ll implement it in two hours and get everything set up. From then on, we’ll set up performances and such around it to keep the energy output at levels that will not cause constant black outs, but not enough to help Doctor Doctor’s efforts. We need more security bots produced if we are going to tighten security. Also-.” 

Mayday eventually tuned the conversation out as she felt her guilt crawl up, glancing over every artist and remembering every hit she doled out to every member of the room. She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a quiet breath, starting to feel her stomach churning in nervousness and self-loathing. Mayday’s eyes started to water a little, but she kept her gaze down and hoped no one would see her supposed ashamed tear shed. A hand on her shoulder snapped her out of her self-loathing spell as she looked to see Zuke jerking a thumb to the door. Looking around, she could see other NSR artists leaving the room. 

“You okay, Mayday?” Zuke asked. 

“Yeah…” She assured, wiping her eyes quickly, “I just…felt a little tired.”

“Don’t lie to me, May.” The drummer said as the two left the room, “You still feel guilty, don’t you?” 

“I just…I don’t deserve forgiveness…not after everything we’ve done.” The guitarist uttered, “I’m surprised we weren’t torn apart in that room.” 

“Newsflash, I was there with you too.” Zuke reminded, “And I think we kinda paid our dues with returning the districts and saving the city from a falling satellite.” 

“Still…with all that we done-!” Mayday uttered, feeling tears welling up. Zuke sighed and pulled his partner into a hug.

“You helped me to let go of my guilt and anger with Eve and West,” Her partner said, “Let me help you let go of your sorrow and self-loathing. Okay, partner?” He pulled away and stared into the watery magenta eyes of his partner. She nodded and buried her face into his chest, letting out a loud wail and a waterfall of tears. He only sighed as he rubbed her back and let her get it all out. 

///

The next day, Zuke and Mayday were enjoying a small meal and coffee at Auntie’s café as they heard a few people complain about the curfew that was implemented. “I’m not surprised people would start to spit about this.” Auntie commented as she refilled Zuke’s coffee. 

“Yeah, but it’s either this, or end up a victim.” Azma added, “I only heard stories of what they did, and I still get the willies.” 

“Yeah, I was a lot younger when the accident happened…all those people…” Auntie sadly admitted, “I don’t wish that on my worst enemies. It was…-whoops! Sorry, nearly spoiled your appetites there. Can I get you anything else?” 

“No, we’re good.” Zuke assured, “Thanks Auntie.” With a smile, the woman left, leaving the indie rocker with their situation. “So…you wanna try hunting these two, or just wait?” He asked. Mayday paused with the fork half-way into her mouth before taking the bite and putting her fork down. 

“Dunno.” She uttered with a mouth full of food, “Maybe just wait...we don’t know where they are either. I don’t know if this is even our job.” 

“True,” Zuke uttered as he pushed around a cut of cucumber, “It might’ve been a one-time thing. But I hate to say it, but after that fight, they might be after us. Plus, this is Vinyl City we’re talking about.” 

“I know, but this is different that the…y’know.” The guitarist uttered, “We don’t exactly know where these two are. I wanna go out and bash their heads again, but…I don’t know, this just feels way different than when we went against NSR. I don’t know, maybe I changed.” 

“Well, whatever you do, I’ll be behind you.” Zuke assured, and Mayday nodded in acceptance. Suddenly, Mayday’s phone buzzed and both looked down to see another text, this time from an unknown number. 

“Hey, Tati gave us your number, and we’re shooting a test text.” It read, “It’s Tila, btw.” 

“Tila?” Mayday asked. 

“She’s the main vocalist of Sayu’s team.” Zuke reminded, “That girl in the hoodie, remember?” 

“Wait, why’s she texting us?” Mayday asked. 

“Text her back and ask.” Zuke suggested, and the guitarist quickly typed out a reply. While they waited for Remi to reply, another text had popped up from another number. 

“Greetings Plutonians, I have received your number from Tatiana, and I just wanted to make sure it was correct. Signed, DJSS.” It read. 

“The DJ’s texting us now?” Zuke asked. 

“How the hell did she get my number in the first place?” Mayday asked as she typed out a reply to Nova and barely setting her phone down before getting another text. Looking at her phone, it was yet another new number. 

“Yinu insisted that I texted you the instant we got your phone number,” It read, “So if this is right, please text back.” 

“I think I got a text from Yinu’s mom…” Mayday uttered, “Now I’m afraid…” Zuke gestured for the phone, and the guitarist handed it over. “Seriously, does all of NSR have my phone number?” She uttered as Zuke sent a reply text. A notification sounded off, and the drummer sighed. 

“Well, seeing as how Neon J had just texted us, yes.” He said as he showed Mayday the newest text. 

“How the hell did Tatiana get my phone number?” She repeated, “Do I talk in my sleep? Can she read my mind? Was I that careless?!” 

“I thought you’d be thrilled in the fact Kul Fyra knows your number and passed it along to 1010.” Zuke pointed out. 

“Yeah but…this is kinda unnatural…it’s kinda creepy!” Mayday admitted, “I thought we would exchange phone numbers like two people about to leave from each other, and we would talk when we wanna catch up!” 

“Well, look at it this way,” Zuke started, “If everyone is reaching out to you like this, then maybe they do forgive you for what happened.” 

“No, I think it’s because they know we can take those two down.” Mayday uttered, “It’s good. When those creeps pop up in someone’s district, we can get over there and kick their butts. Sooner we take them down, the better it is for Vinyl City.” Zuke frowned at his partner’s pessimistic outlook, but another notification on Mayday’s phone made him look to see that Eve was texting them again. 

“Zuke, May: Please come to my studio as soon as you can.” It read, “I think Doctor Doctor has poisoned one of my pieces.” 

“Eve needs our help again,” Zuke said, “We gotta get to the Fever Dream District.” Mayday took a quick gulp of her coffee, and slapped down some money on the table. 

“Let’s roll.” She uttered as she ran off

“Wait, this isn’t the-augh!” Zuke said as he quickly slapped down the rest of the money before hurrying to catch up with his hot-headed partner. 

///

Later, Bunkbed Junction were in the Dream Fever District once again, the power fully restored and people walking about, but with a few more security robots patrolling the area. “So, where’s Eve’s studio?” Mayday asked as she looked around, “Is it a secret passage or what?” A knock at the door, made them look to see a door had materialized beside them, decorated with splotches of magenta and white, turquoise lines tracing idly amongst the chaos. 

“That might be the way.” Zuke said as Mayday pushed the door open and revealed to the two a large room with multiple drop cloths on the floor, shelves chock full of paints, materials, and small clay sculptures, blocks of large rocks, piles of metal, and multiple blank canvases. As they stepped through, the door slammed shut and dissolved into thin air, leaving the two in this silent, dusty room. “Eve?” Zuke called, “Eve, where are you?” 

“HELP ME!” Eve screamed, and the two ran towards the source. As they ran, the materials sprang to life and tried to strike the duo down, the drop clothes nearly swallowing them whole in their musty, dirty maws. The studio seemed to warp and stretched the longer they ran, paint cans and canvases pulled into elongated shapes and fusing into unholy abominations that burbled and hungered for human. Suddenly, the studio dipped down, and the duo was sent dropping to the depths of the supposed illusion, leaving them to scream as the bland scenery faded into nothing but dark. 

“Did Eve do this back in collage?” Mayday asked as she nearly missed an ascending hunk of stone. 

“Nothing like this…” Zuke said as he pushed away half a canvas, “This is someone else entirely!” Their descent was done as they landed in a pile of shredded canvases, Zuke realizing them to be Eve’s previous paintings. “Eve, where are you?” Zuke cried out as he climbed out of the destroyed paintings, “Eve!” The room was suddenly lit up as the two focused on the spotlight’s victim. A 10x10 canvas was on display, revealing a distress Eve in the middle, drowning in her mistakes and desperations in a fury of greens and pinks, bursts of orange and magenta. “Eve!” Zuke shouted as he and Mayday ran towards the portrait, nearly touching the surface until it was yanked away by some sort of invisible force. 

A remixed version of Eve’s song started to play, all the original stylish qualities of her song drowned in despair and regret, taking a slower, more somber quality. The spotlight warped and the two watched as the origin of the light rose higher and higher until the two were staring at a one-eyed monster with a sideways, toothy grin, multiple copies of Eve’s eyes twitching all over its black body, and its long, nails caging the portrait. “That…that is disturbing.” Mayday fearfully admitted.

“We got no choice if we wanna save Eve.” Zuke said as he turned on his drumsticks. 

“Let’s rock-a-tock!” Mayday said as she struck a chord. The monster let out a jovial, warbling cry and made a third arm appear and swipe at the two, nearly slicing them in half as they back peddled and got ready to strike. The monster got ready to strike again as more arms sprang from its stomach and tried to grab the duo, but the two split and Mayday struck one arm while Zuke hit the other, causing a distressed howl to erupt from the beast’s mouth. But Mayday did not let up the attack as she ran up the gnarled arm and swung her guitar against its face over and over, knocking out large teeth with each hit. “C’mon, is that the best you got?!” The guitarist shouted as she knocked out another tooth. 

“Mayday, wait!” Zuke called, but Mayday soon found herself staring into the spotlight eye, nearly going blind as thousands of hands gripped her legs. She swatted away the hands and tried to pull away, but she was slowly sinking into the beast’s cold, liquid skin. “I’m coming!” Zuke shouted as he tried to climb up the creature, but soon discovered the skin to be slippery as hands gripped fistfuls of liquid, realizing that it was about the same texture as paint. “Wait, is this paint?” He asked, then looked over at one of the teeth, and realized it was a crudely chiseled stone statue of a tooth. “May, I think this thing is made up of art supplies!” He announced as he tried to continue his ascent. 

“So, what can we do? Hope for a rain storm?!” Mayday asked as she kept trying to pull from her sinking situation. Zuke looked back at the monster’s skin, then took a deep breath and pushed his head through. “Zuke, what the heck are you doing!?” She exclaimed as Zuke pushed himself into the creature’s body. Inside, it was different; colors of all tints and shades shimmered and dulled in tune to a heartbeat, shards of broken mirrors floating in this space, and multiple limbs twisted and broken in abnormal angles. 

“Eve?” He called out, but his voice came out in multiple languages, and reverberated through the pocket universe. Zuke pulled himself completely into the space and started to drift, pushing himself forward with any solid surface. “Eve, can you hear me?” He called out again, wincing when he heard his own native tongue reverberating in this technicolor nightmare. Zuke glanced over to a shard, and nearly winced when he saw himself in his old stage costume. Looking to another, he saw himself as a child, and another of when he was in college. Soon he was surrounded with reflections of things he had never thought of possible; being a woman, being a different race, fat, thin, bloated to cartoonish proportions, stretched and curled into monstrosities. Zuke was looking around for a way out, but he couldn’t find an opening, so he ended up shutting his eyes and curling into a ball. “It’s all an illusion…” He uttered, “Just an illusion, calm down…” But he felt something grab his leg, another grabbing his arms. It wasn’t long until every part of him was in the grip of something, and he was slowly being pulled apart, feeling every inch of his skin screaming in pain and agony. He took a quick look, and saw that somehow, he was being stretched as flat as paper. A scream erupted from his throat, loud enough to rattle the glass. 

“Hold on!” Mayday shouted, and his prison of mirror shards was shattered as he saw Mayday striking the glass with her guitar. “Zuke, what were you thinking?!” She scolded, “You nearly got yourself killed!” 

“I…I’m sorry,” Zuke apologized as he shook his head free from the fear, “I thought this would be like Eve’s other performances.” 

“Well, this ain’t Eve performing!” Mayday pointed out as she grabbed Zuke and pushed forward, “Anyway, while you were in here, that thing swallowed the Eve painting. So, it’s gotta be floating here somewhere.” 

“Right, question is where?” Zuke uttered as the duo drifted through the technicolor space. 

“I don’t think this thing has a stomach, so it could be somewhere,” The guitarist uttered.

“Eve, where are you?!” Zuke shouted, wincing at the multiple language effects still effecting his voice. 

“How’d you do that?” Mayday asked. 

“I don’t know, it’s an effect of this space,” Zuke admitted, “Either that, or it really doesn’t want us to find Eve.” 

“Maybe it might take a different approach to find Eve,” Mayday pondered, “I mean you found her as that chair back then.” 

“You’re right!” The drummer realized, “Look at you, solving puzzles.” Mayday grinned as Zuke looked around until he saw something, dragging Mayday along until the two had found a solid spot to stand on. “It’s a stairway, c’mon!” He said as the two started to run up the suggested stairs, following the curving pathway through the pulsating, nauseating space. In the distance, Zuke could see the stairs slowly morphing into a walkway, white walls slowly drifting into place to transform it into a hall. 

“What’s going on Zuke?” Mayday asked as she looked around. 

“I think we’re getting closer to Eve,” Zuke said, “Everything is starting to look like an empty gallery.” 

“Glad you’re getting a break from this paint explosion.” The guitarist grumbled, “It’s just getting worse on my end!” 

“Just keep calm and keep going; we’re almost through this hall!” The drummer assured. The hallway finished constructing as the both of them went through the doorway and exited into a large, empty gallery, Eve’s portrait hanging on the far wall. The two walked up to the portrait and tried to pull it off the wall, but found it stuck. 

“You got a crow bar handy?” Mayday suggested. 

“We can’t pry it off,” Zuke said as he felt around the wall, “It’s like the painting is a part of the wall itself.” He looked over the painting and gingerly touched the surface. But as he pulled his finger away, he found it stuck. “Dang it, I’m stuck.” He uttered as he tried to pull his finger away. 

“Is it still wet?” Mayday asked as she looped her arms around Zuke’s waist. 

“No, and even still, paint shouldn’t be this sticky!” The drummer pointed out as the duo tried to pull free, Zuke feeling like he’s going to pull his finger out of its socket. He looked again and realized that not only is his finger stuck, his finger was in the painting, and the rest of him was slowly being absorbed. “Mayday, I think the painting’s eating me!” He fearfully cried. 

“Wait what?!” Mayday asked as she looked over and saw more of Zuke’s finger sinking into the canvas, slowly becoming part of the image. “C’mon, why?!” She shouted as she used all of her strength to pull him free. 

“May, stop! You’re gonna pull it off!” Zuke cried. 

“Better to leave here with nine fingers than die with ten!” Mayday grunted as she continued her tug of war. She pulled harder and harder as Zuke yelled out in pain for her to stop. Tendrils of paint crawled up his arm and forcefully pulled him closer until half of his arm was swallowed, more tendrils crawling up to his shoulder. 

“Mayday, stop.” Zuke firmly said, “It’s not working.”

“Well, what can I do?!” Mayday cried. 

“Get out of here!” Zuke ordered as he felt his other arm being pulled into the image, “Look, I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but you need to get out and try to find Tatiana, or someone!” 

“I’m not leaving you!” Mayday shouted. 

“Please May…” He begged, “For me.” Mayday stared, tears forming before shutting her eyes and running out. “Good lu-!” Zuke began, but was fully pulled into the image. Mayday swallowed her fear as she kept running out of the empty gallery and kept running through the supposed hallway. But the usually bright technicolor space had somehow dulled to an array of greys, with each pulse brightening or darkening certain sections. 

“Why’s everything turning gloomy?” She asked before slamming face first into an invisible wall. Feeling around, she figured the hallway had gained a corner, so she turned left, but ran into another wall. Going right and going back revealed the same result, and she realized that she was boxed in. “No, no no no no no!” She cried as she slammed her fists against the unseen walls, “C’mon, give me a break!” Something collided with her head and she realized that the ceiling was starting to close down on her, making her desperate to break through her invisible prison. She pounded and banged on the walls, nearly on the verge of tears as she could see that her new guitar was on the verge of snapping in two. “SOMEONE HELP ME!” She screamed. 

Suddenly, everything shattered. Mayday screamed as everything just fell to pieces without reason, leaving her free of her prison, but also free of the supposed illusion. Everything was black and cold, and she held her guitar close while she squeezed her eyes shut. A noise above her erupted, followed by the confused guitarist being coughed up onto the studio floor in a small gush of water. Mayday quickly got up to see the creature from before groaning and whining as it clawed at its own skin and thrashed around. Parts of its skin started to bubble and burst, allowing pink pus to ooze through the new openings. “The heck is going on?” Mayday uttered as more pimples began to bubble up and burst in small pink and green splatters. The monster let out a tortured yell until the back of its head exploded in a fantastic splatter of paint, something sliding out of the brand-new cavity. Mayday took that opportunity to leap up to the creature and slam her guitar into the side of its head, sending it toppling over until it landed with a splat on the floor. “And that’s for nearly destroying Fyra’s guitar!” she added. 

“Mayday?” Zuke asked as she looked over to see Zuke pulling himself from the paint pile, covered head to toe in heavy acrylics. Next to him, Eve was still unconscious, but breathing. 

“Zuke, you okay?” Mayday asked as she ran over. 

“I’m fine,” The drummer assured, “But we need to get some help for Eve.” A loud roar snapped the two to look at the writhing, bleeding monster as it thrashed and tried to grab the duo. “This thing never learns, does it?” Zuke uttered as he got ready to fight. 

“Ready to do it to it?” Mayday asked.

“Let’s finish this!” Zuke shouted. 

“Red light!” Mayday shouted. 

“Green light!” Zuke replied. Mayday flipped a switch on the guitar and the instrument was engulfed in flames, feeling warm n her hands. 

“Bunka! Junka! Shacka-Lacka! Bam!” The duo exclaimed, and sent a fire ball hurtling towards the creature, striking it square on and causing it to explode, the debris splattering the duo and the room in a rain of paint. The two groaned as they stood in the dripping remains, grimacing at the mess. 

“Okay, that was probably the grossest thing ever…” Mayday uttered. 

“Least the room’s back to normal, look.” Zuke pointed out, and the guitarist looked around to see that it was a normal studio once more, save for the paint splatter and a stray piece of broken marble. A groan made the two look over to see Eve pulling herself from the floor, slowly rubbing her head. 

“Wh-what happened?” She uttered. 

“You’re okay.” Zuke assured as he quickly joined her side, “Just lie still and take it easy.” 

“What happened?” Mayday asked, “All we got was a text about one of your pieces being ‘poisoned’?” 

“Right…” The artist uttered, “I was going to make a few more pieces before…I saw one of my rejected pieces in the studio and it mutated into…that.” 

“And trapped you in that painting…” Zuke uttered. 

“What was it like?” Mayday asked. 

“Constantly, you are bombarded with every doubt, every regret, every fear, and simultaneously you are alone and in the dark.” Eve uttered, “Unable to move, unable to speak…” 

“And…how did you get out?” The guitarist asked. 

“I don’t know…” Eve answered, “It was after Zuke had entered my prison.” 

“I’m in the dark about this,” Zuke interjected, “I mean, I was stuck in there and felt everything Eve had talked about…And then suddenly, I’m out here, crawling out of the skull with Eve on my back.” 

“Weird…” Mayday uttered, “But…I guess don’t complain if we get the job done.” 

“Right,” Zuke uttered, “Just glad we could wrap this up without it getting in the district.” 

“I shudder at the thought.” Eve added, “I thank you for saving me Zuke and…Madee.” 

“Mayday.” The guitarist corrected, “But no prob. We’re gonna head out.” 

“Wait, we gotta stay with Eve.” Zuke said, “I don’t feel comfortable leaving her alone after all that. Let’s at least stay until the officials come by.” 

“What?” Mayday asked, “Oh, fine. But if I break something, that’s on you.” 

“You don’t have to stay Zuke,” Eve assured, “I’ll be alright.” 

“I wouldn’t feel right,” The drummer admitted, “I mean, you were imprisoned in a cage of regret and swallowed by a creature mimicking your style.” 

“Fair enough…” The artist uttered. As Zuke and Eve contacted NSR, Mayday pulled up her own phone and looked through the text messages from before. She still felt a twang of regret as she looked through the messages and Zuke’s replies. She glanced over to Zuke and Eve, then sighed and returned to her own phone and leaving the text messages. 

“NSR might forgive Zuke,” Mayday uttered, “But they will never forgive me."


End file.
